Patriots Notebook: Testaverde not retired yet

Vinny Testaverde is taking part in the Patriots passing camp this week, and it's not merely for kicks or to help out coach Bill Belichick.

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Vinny Testaverde is taking part in the Patriots passing camp this week, and it's not merely for kicks or to help out coach Bill Belichick.

According to Mike Azzarelli, a close friend and associate of the quarterback, the 43-year-old Testaverde has not hung up his cleats, nor does he have any plans to do so. He's looking for work. He's looking to add a 21st season to his distinguished resume.

``He's not retired. I doubt he'd be hanging out,'' Azzarelli said when asked about Testaverde's appearance in Foxboro this week participating in passing camp, which is part of the team's Organized Team Activities.

``He's intent on playing.''

Was anything in the works in terms of a contract?

``I can't comment on that,'' said Azzarelli, who had previously served as Testaverde's agent. Azzarelli is no longer an agent, per se, but continues to work for Testaverde.

Testaverde was signed by the Pats last November, serving as the third quarterback behind Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. Given his vast experience, having played in the NFL for two decades, he provided veteran counsel for Brady.

After Brady and Cassel, rookie free agent Matt Gutierrez is the only other quarterback on the roster.

Testaverde's locker has remained intact through the off-season, sitting to one side of Randy Moss' new stall in the Pats room, with Brady holding down the other side.

As of last week, there were still several game balls in Testaverde's locker. One of them, no doubt, is from the 6-yard touchdown pass he threw to Troy Brown in the December 31, 40-23 victory against the Tennessee Titans. That gave him at least one touchdown pass for the 20th straight season, breaking his own record.

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It's been more than three months since the Patriots released Corey Dillon and, based on what's out there for him, agent Steve Feldman is saying that the 10-year workhorse back is leaning toward retirement.

``He's in a holding pattern right now,'' said Feldman. ``I'm not certain whether he's gonna play football anymore. He's happy, he's got every dime he's made, and he's busy taking his kids to school and working on his golf game. He's got his 10 years in the league, 10,000 yards, his Super Bowl ring, so it'd have to be a good spot for him to come back.''

But Feldman said that Dillon still hasn't filed retirement papers with the league. For now, the plan is to wait until summer to make a decision.

At that point, two circumstances could lead Dillon back to the field. One would simply be the itch to play again. The other would be a feature role opening up on a contending team. Dillon flirted a bit with the Titans, Bills and Eagles in March, but backed off scheduled visits to Nashville and Buffalo.

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Peter Schaeffer, who represents free agent Chad Brown, continues to deny a report from last week the linebacker had come to terms with the Patriots.

``(There's) no deal,'' Schaeffer wrote yesterday via email, when asked if Brown had re-signed with the Pats. ``I don't know where the report came from.''

Schaeffer, however, did not respond when asked if there had at least been discussions or contact between the Pats and his client. ...

Junior Seau's contract, signed on Monday, is for one year with a base salary of $1 million, according to a league source. The deal includes $100,000 in likely-to-be-earned incentives, which pushes Seau's 2007 cap charge to $1.1 million.

There's no signing bonus attached to the deal, meaning the Patriots can cut Seau before the season starts without cap ramifications. But Seau is protected with a $500,000 split, which would be paid out if he's placed on injured reserve before the opener.

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